Rechartered Federal Advisory Committee To Focus on 5G Network Security

On April 15, FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her intention to recharter for the eighth time the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), a federal advisory committee whose purpose is to provide the Commission with technical advice and recommendations on pressing communications-related matters.

In light of the spate of recent cyberattacks, in particular the SolarWinds SUNBURST hack that was perpetrated last year and which last week prompted President Biden to impose sanctions on Russia, Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel will task the latest iteration of CSRIC with preparing for "the challenges of today and tomorrow" via "a coordinated, multifaceted, and strategic approach to protecting our networks from all threats."

According to the Public Notice, CSRIC VIII will address:

[A] range of public safety- and homeland security-related communications matters, including: (1) the security and reliability of communications systems and infrastructure; (2) 911, Enhanced 911 (E911), and Next Generation 911 (NG911); (3) emergency alerting; and (4) national security/emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications, including law enforcement access to communications.

However, the Press Release makes clear that the "primary focus" of CSRIC VIII will be 5G network security.

June 1 is the deadline to submit nominations for members and a chairperson. Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel's goal is a diverse council that includes representatives from both the private sector and other federal agencies "with similar interests."

Consumer Survey Shows the Dangers of Malware from Video Piracy

A survey released on June 22 by the U.S. consumers by the Digital Citizens Alliance offers additional evidence of the strong link between video piracy and malware. According to the Digital Citizens Alliance, 13% of respondents admitted to using devices like Kodi boxes or jail-broken Amazon Firesticks to view pirated copies of copyrighted movies and TV shows. Of those users of piracy devices, 49% reported experiencing malware in the last year and 25% reported a malware problem in the prior three months. Check out the Digital Citizens Alliance website – including its handy infographic – for more on the survey's findings.

In a June blog post, I noted the dangers of malicious software to users of illicit streaming devices and illegal IPTV services. Those dangers were the issue focus of the U.S. Trade Representative's 2019 Review of Notorious Markets Report. FSF President Randolph May and I also addressed the dangers of malware to users of illicit streaming devices and illegal IPTV services in our newest book, Modernizing Copyright Law for the Digital Age – Constitutional Foundations for Reform.

Piracy of copyrighted video content is violation of the exclusive property rights of copyright owners, and therefore wrong in itself. But as the Digital Citizens Alliance's survey reminds us, video piracy also poses harms to the viewers of pirated content.

Attorney General Barr Presses for U.S. Action Now on 5G

On February 6, Attorney General William Barr delivered the keynote address at the Justice Department's "China Initiative Conference" in Washington D.C. Attorney General Barr primarily addressed the technological and economic challenges posed to the U.S. by China in the areas of intellectual property theft and 5G dominance. His address is worth reading or viewing in full. (For C-SPAN, AG Barr's address begins about 1 hour and 26 minutes into the stream and his remarks on 5G begin at about 1 hour and 38 minutes in.)

In his address, AG Barr stressed the importance of making spectrum resources available for 5G services in the U.S. He specifically identified C-Band and L-Band spectrum as critically important for rapid deployment of 5G. From AG Barr's prepared remarks: 

The FCC has been working hard to get the C-band spectrum out into the market through an auction.  It is critical to get this done within the next few months.  Even then, the U.S. will need 400,000 base stations to cover the nation.  This could take a decade or more to build out. Recently, there have been interesting proposals to jump-start U.S.  5G by also making available L-band spectrum for use in tandem with the C-band.  By using the L-band for uplink, we could dramatically reduce the number of base stations required to complete national coverage.  It has been suggested that this could cut the time for U.S. 5G deployment from a decade to 18 months, and save approximately $80 million.  While some technical issues about using the L-band are being debated, it is imperative that the FCC resolves this question. The bottom line is that we have to move decisively to auction the C-band spectrum, and bring to resolution the issues over L-band.  Our economic future is at stake.  We have to bear in mind that, given the narrow window we face, the risk of losing the 5G struggle with China should vastly outweigh all other considerations.

Free State Foundation scholars have also advocated prompt action by the FCC to put C-Band and L-Band spectrum into commercial use. On February 6, FSF President Randolph May issued a statement regarding the FCC's proposed order to transition incumbent users in the C-band and clear for auction 280 MHz in that band. And my December 19, 2019 blog post, "FCC Should Green Light Wireless Services in L-Band Spectrum," urged prompt FCC decision on Ligado Networks' modified applications to deploy a satellite-terrestrial hybrid mobile network for commercial services in unused L-band spectrum.  

Importantly, AG Barr's keynote address also called attention to the pressing issue of 5G equipment suppliers and the need to have a market-ready alternative to Chinese 5G equipment suppliers. His call that the U.S. and its closest allies need to consider ways to put our large market and financial muscle behind viable competitors – insofar as it is carried out by by private American and allied companies – merits serious consideration. 

Report Finds Streaming Piracy Poses Cybersecurity Dangers to Consumers

The Digital Citizens Alliance has just published an important investigative report titled "Fishing in the Piracy Stream: How the Dark Web of Entertainment is Exposing Consumers to Harm." The report calls needed attention to the cybersecurity dangers posed to users of illicit streaming devices (ISDs) and piracy apps designed to stream pirated movies, TV episodes, and live video programming content via the Internet. As the report observes, many downloadable piracy apps and apps that are pre-installed in ISDs contain malware. The malware steals user names and passwords, scans user networks, and uploads user data without their knowledge. 

The report's findings are further described in Digital Citizens' press release.

Cybersecurity dangers posed by ISDs and piracy apps were a focus point in the US Trade Representative's 2017 Notorious Markets Report, which I blogged about here. Free State Foundation President Randolph May and I also touched on the problems posed by ISDs and stream-ripping sites and the need for stronger measures to combat them in our Perspectives from FSF Scholars paper, "Modernizing Criminal Copyright Law to Combat Online Piracy."